9 and a half minutes*

@@mrmanakin9684 And made the song better IMO.

So that explains the singer’s facial quirks before he starts singing: he was grimacing in time to the new tempo.

@@mjr2451 I think he was just trying to psyche himself up because he knew it was going to be very difficult to sing/play.

@@mrmanakin9684 That is not true, the album version is 6.42 And what they played on Midnight Special was actually 6 mins long, this video shows what was edited down for broadcast, so it wasn't really that much faster, it just sounds like it. Here's the unedited version of this performance: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fd-ohtmLtMjdZWg.html

Well observed, well said.

And they refused to shorten it, so that’s why they decided to squeeze the whole song in the four minutes they were given.

More like 50% faster;)

Went from about a 7 minute tune to 4 minutes.

Based on another video from the BBCs "Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1972, the four minute version is one they often used on TV programs. I kind of doubt it was due to the time slot length on the OGWT. Truth is there are so many different versions of this track (even before it became a hit). It was originally released on an album about two years before it became a hit based off a single release that was different from the album cut. I suspect the band loved to tinker around with it and play a different version on every tour.

with out the Pips,well said.

Or play the flute. 😂

Me too such great times

Well everybody had fun that night - and even today, generations later, when you see him whistling, you have to laugh

They actually played a 6 min version, this was edited for TV I guess, the unedited performance is on YT as well. It's 6.05 even without the introduction by Gladys Knight.

Also Ekseption was great band.

Don't forget Brainbox

Today they have great Bands like the Staat or Jungle by Night.

Art. Well said...in one word

yes, well deserved.

Lucky people to be there, must have been an unforgetable experience.

@@agegroot5666 If I can when I get to Heaven, I'm gonna head on to that taping

one of the later play out versions from the live shows the drums solo and follow the guitar riff style as well, very musical

Pierre van der Linden. still gong strong , over 70 now. Focus still playing: alive and Kickin, though without Jan Akkerman

Wow, thank you, that means a lot! Glad you enjoyed it. I also just went down a rabbit hole of watching reactions to this haha

I clicked on it because he looked interesting. I've watched a ton of reaction videos, several for this performance, and this one was quite enjoyable.

JAN was sweep picking WAAAYYYYYYYYY before anyone ... UNFUCKINGBELIEVEABLE

@@mikegallagher2732 Sweep picking was done long, long before the 70s. Even then, Ritchie Blackmore was doing it, too. lol

That dude was doing some nasty shit to those poor little upper frets.

Wasn't jodeling all the time....not on my Focus records. Thijs and Jan are like fire and ice still they sticked together for 5 years creating great songs.

@@agegroot5666 No your right, was just using the suggestion that Akkerman himself was mentioning a few times in interviews. Though i think it's probably closer to the real reasons than we think: musical isseus.

@@wjl2601_ Did see a Dutch tv-program where he was asked which person he never wanted to see again, within a second he said he never ever wanted to see Thijs van Leer again and why? because Thijs van Leer was bullied him by calling him a blue-collar workers musician because of Jan Akkermans familybackground and he did that all the time!!! So the bullying must have Lasted 4/5 years!....why didn't he.. a very very talented gitarist with a strong mind break up with such a bully? The very talented Jan Akkerman didn't need the band. Never heard Thijs van Leer talking disrespectfull about Jan Akkerman, he always calls him an exellent guitarist, on the other hand Jan Akkerman always talks about that yodler, as we know Thijs van Leer has many talents and calling him that yodler is a bit disrespectful, he's downgrading Thijs van Leers other talents. Jan Akkerman was and is a great guitarist, one of the best ever but it looks like he's a person with a difficult personality. During the last 1,5 year in Focus he did show up occasionally for the necessary rehearsals, fed up by his behaviour he was kicked out of the band by Thijs van Leer, that might be the real reason for his animosity toward Thijs van Leer. Thijs and Jan playing together? zero chance! Despite the constant bullying the two created many great songs during those years.

@@agegroot5666 Yes, I think that Thijs is the smarter one.

Yeah, those solos sounded ahead of the time.

Didn't he invent the 'tapping'?

Haha I can imagine it 😂

I'm surprised too! I listen to a bit of PF, Rush, King Krimson etc. But I somehow missed these guys.

Those of us who got to enjoy all the great bands of the 70's, and there were so many, at the time are indeed fortunate. Musicians shined everywhere. Bands of today on a similar level do exist but are few and far between in comparison.

@@RonniePeterson That is so true, sadly.

Thijs - the crazy dude - was also part of the live Ayreon "Electric Castle and Other Tales" production/concert. Unfortunately mostly doubling the violin part, so never really stood out. So he's still playing and having some fun. Others correct me if I'm remember wrong, haven't watched it in a while. Tried looking but couldn't spot anything obvious.

Cheers John! Wow, that's awesome. I can definitely imagine him in the Ayreon universe.

@@ThomFoolery1 he is not in Ayreon Universe but in The Electric Castle and other tales

@@mandje2002 yes, he's very good a legend.

They actually played for 6 mins, it's also on YT, this version that everybody uses was done in editing for the TV broadcast.

They weren't trying. They were doing.

Thank you kindly! 😊

Thank you for suggesting it! It's great fun 😃

Cheers buddy! Safe travels 😄

Studio version is good but the live versions with the guys playing are pretty exciting.

@@agegroot5666, with "Hamburger Concerto" the studio version will always be preferable, because it's a very long piece that is extremely rich in nuances and subtleties during every playing minute, and all live versions are abridged, so some precious content is inevitably lost. "Hamburger Concerto" is also a more refined concept than the more popular "Hocus Pocus" or "Sylvia", and it requires the perfectionism of the studio to be fully enjoyed. "Hocus Pocus" shows a lot of their great musicianship, but it also makes them a circus attraction of sorts. Those fantastic Flying Dutchmen deserve more than that. In "Hamburger Concerto", their musicianship totally takes over, and there is, and there shouldn't be, room for anything else.

He and Pierre, are now out on Focus's 50th Anniversary Tour, and album. Go see them, if you can, still magical. Miss Jan, but hey have seen him several times over the decades.

I love that they could've cut out a section or 2 but probably thought 'Nah, let's just take another hit and play crazy fast' 🤣

@@ThomFoolery1 These guys were bonkers 🤣🤣🤣🤣

SPEED

Ja en Thijs perform nog steeds saam met Ayreon (Arjen Anthony Lucassen) al is hy 76 jaar oud!

Songs like Sylvia are like the million others out there. This one isn’t.

He was actually pronounced the best in the world one year by the magazine guitar world.

His name is Jan Akkerman, and he was named best guitarist of the world by Melody Maker in 1973……

@@inekebaalman3320 indeed... i thought it was guitar magizine. Old brain clouded an all...😉

@@Tamm1965 No problem! I’m old too but Dutch, like Focus. I think that’s why I remembered it just a little better😄!

@@inekebaalman3320 wel thats an insult... means my brain is actually gone since i am dutch to🤣🤣 but its ok.